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Game Recap: Blue Jays 9, Yankees 0; Outstanding Offense Overwhelms Overmatched Outsiders

After getting swept by the Yankees earlier in the month, Jays fans were probably a little nervous coming into this game. They  didn’t need to be, as the Jays opened their series against the Yankees with a blowout, getting a few runs early and adding several more to seal an eventual 9-0 victory.

The Jays had a rough time with Bryan Mitchell the last time they faced him, as they stranded several runners over Mitchell’s five scoreless innings. They broke through early in this one, getting a couple runs in the first and one run via small ball in the second, as Devon Travis bunted a couple runners over before Edwin Encarnacion knocked one in. They did leave several opportunities on the board against Mitchell, as he finished with 6 innings, 6 hits and 4 walks allowed, but only 1 of his 3 runs were earned because of a throwing error by new Yankee Billy Butler.  He only struck out 2. They eventually broke through in the 7th against reliever Blake Parker, scoring four runs off RBI hits from Jose Bautista and Troy Tulowitzki, and added a couple more with a Josh Donaldson dinger in the 8th.

Francisco Liriano had a good start overall, though his control came and went, as happens a lot with the Jays’ lefthander. He was able to keep the Yankees from capitalizing when they got runners on base. He stranded the bases loaded in the first inning, and two more in the third en-route to six shutout innings. Liriano finished allowing just 3 hits and 2 walks, striking out 6 over his 6 innings. The Jays were able to rest Jason Grilli and Roberto Osuna with all the late runs, and closed out the game without much else happening.

Top Play of the Game by WPA

With the game scoreless in the bottom of the first inning, the Jays loaded the bases with two outs.  This had all the makings of a frustrating result for Jays fans, who have seen the team strand a lot of runners this month. Fortunately, it didn’t happen this time: Tulowitzki came to the plate and lined a single to left, scoring Josh Donaldson and Encarnacion. This opening salvo for the Jays increased their chances to win by 16 percentage points.

Bottom Play of the Game by WPA

The Yankees threatened on several occasions in this one, but had a lot of trouble cashing runners in. Trailing 3-0 in the seventh, they got the first runner on against Benoit, and sent pinch-hitter Brian McCann to the plate. McCann grounded into a double play, essentially ending the threat. That result reduced the Yankees’ chances to win by 8 percentage points.

Tulo Gets Two Clutch Hits

The offense needed someone to step up, and the biggest hero tonight was Tulowitzki, who got two keys hits with the bases loaded, accounting for four RBIs. For a team that has seemed completely unable to get runners across the plate for the majority of the month, Tulo’s success with runners on was a welcome sight. They were singles into left and right field respectively, but got the job done, and that was what the Jays needed on this night.

Up Next

Saturday’s game will be a mid-afternoon affair, starting at 4:07 PM ET. The Yankees will send C.C. Sabathia to the mound, and the Jays will counter with opening day starter Marcus Stroman. Sabathia faced the Jays most recently in August, and had a strange line: while the Jays scored 7 runs over 6 innings against him, the big lefty did strike out 12 batters. Stroman faced the Yankees earlier in September, allowing just 2 runs over 5 innings, striking out 8 in a 2-0 loss.

For those who were scoreboard watching, the Red Sox beat the Rays 2-1, keeping the division lead at 4 games over the Jays. The second wild card belonged to the Tigers before this game, and they were leading the Royals 8-3 in the top of the 9th. The Orioles, who were 1.5 games back of the Jays coming into tonight’s game, had managed to tie the game in the ninth against the Diamondbacks, and the game was in extra innings when this was published.

Lead Photo: John E. Sokolowski – USA Today Sports

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